


We Are The Same

by xKimbitx



Category: Killing Eve (TV 2018)
Genre: Angst, Canon Typical Violence, Eve going crazy without Villanelle, Eventual Romance, F/F, Killing Eve Season 3, Pining, Post Finale, after 2x08, some violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-30
Updated: 2019-06-14
Packaged: 2020-03-29 20:00:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19026916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xKimbitx/pseuds/xKimbitx
Summary: They were stood in the ruins of their relationship, that had only begun to build, when Eve walked away from her and broke both their hearts. Little did she know Villanelle had planned all of this to save her life. | My take on the final scene and my version of Season 3!





	1. I Hate To Say I Told You So

**Author's Note:**

> Hello Sweeties! I’ve had this idea in my head since 2x07 and with the shooting, it basically just confirmed all my thoughts hahaha! I do hope you enjoy, if you do please come tune in every week! I’ll be posting hopefully every Sunday or Monday (just like it’s an episode of the show!)

Villanelle’s mind was racing with a dizzying mixture of worry and unashamed arousal from their little encounter with Raymond. It was so poetically ironic that her most favourite person had killed the person she hated most on this Earth. _And Eve had done so to save her life!_ It all felt like a dream and for that little moment she almost managed to forget their current predicament, until Eve’s sweet voice dragged her back to reality.

“Where are we?”

Eve asked without even truly caring about the answer, she was just asking simple questions to keep her grounded, lest she start panicking about what had just happened in a fucking dingy tunnel and Villanelle is forced to slap her again.

“It’s a shortcut.”

That was a lie. But, Eve didn’t need to know that.

“Where are we going?”

Villanelle had done her research, the minute she had known they would be going to Rome. She knew from experience that you must know where all your available emergency exits are in case a job goes South and you need to make a quick get away. According to the various maps she had looked at, they would eventually come to a collection of ruins – a popular place for tourist or professional photography, but it was closed for maintenance currently.

“You’ll see.”

It occurred to her that the place would be covered in security cameras, to stop the lower dregs of society from vandalising the ancient architecture. She had cut off a young man’s finger for trying to vandalise a statue in Rome once, its horridly disrespectful.

“Do you know the way out of here?”

Eve had begun to feel the choking grasp of claustrophobia curling around her body. It didn’t help that the tunnel had started to remind her of prison, where she would go for killing Raymond, brute force they would say, more blows than necessary for self defence. Oh God.

“Relaaaax. Everything is going to be perfect. Trust me.”

A stark realisation hit Villanelle and she unintentionally quickened her pace, not only would MI6 be able to see them on the security cameras, but The 12 were bound to have more workers here in Rome. They could be entering the tunnel now, or waiting for them at the end of it.

“Do you think if we died down here anybody would notice?”

Eve had been trying to keep up with her, their height difference and her growing dizziness making it increasingly difficult until she could take no more, completely ignoring Villanelle’s question.

“Slow down. _God_ , it’s so hot.”

Villanelle had forgotten that Eve would be struggling with the fact she had just taken a life for the first time, she tried to recall what it was like for her the first time. That wouldn’t help, she hadn’t felt anything other than a brief satisfaction from stopping the years of abuse. Instead she tried to imagine how it would have felt if she were normal, unable to keep her excitement out of her voice at the last part.

“It’s okay if you feel weird, you just killed someone for the first time. With an axe.”

She left Eve with that, certain that was enough to help the other woman move past it. After all, she had swung the axe more times than she needed too, she must have enjoyed it really, even if she wasn’t ready to admit it.

“There is an exit somewhere here, I think.”

Her legs carried her to the left, that provided them with more tunnel to walk through but Eve veered off to the right before finally speaking and revealing their way out. It was terribly like a visual representation of their story, they had finally found their way out of the tunnel to be together but were met with a solid barricade. Yet another hurdle for them to jump to be together.

“Here. I can see light.”

Eve walked straight up to it before slamming her hands against it, testing it’s strength. She needed something heavier, and after a quick glance around she was launching the plank of wood against the wall with a shout.

“Come on you piece of shit!”

Villanelle looked on, a brow raised and for a moment she wondered if she was going to have to slap her again. Thankfully, the wood gave way before it came to that.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

She asked with a little shake of her head, to which Eve breathed a quick reply before walking on towards the exit.

“Yeah.”

Villanelle couldn’t help but laugh as she walked through the broken wall, it seemed. Eve was intent on surprising her today.

“Nice job. You need a hand?”

She offered but walked ahead of Eve quickly, she was still certain either MI6 or The 12 agents would be waiting for them. At least if she was shot first perhaps Eve could make an escape through the tunnels.

The pictures she had studied on Google didn’t do the ruins justice, they were beautiful, even in the broken state they were currently in. She couldn’t help the amazed little sound that escaped her as she walked onwards to scout for any people waiting to spring on them.

“Wow”

“It’s Beautiful”

Eve had said honestly, but she could barely even take in the site before her. All her entire being could focus on was the fact she had just killed someone for the first time and felt… absolutely nothing. The thought threatened to consume her very being there and then and then the most bizarre question came in the lightest of voices.

“What do you want for Dinner?”

Villanelle was trying desperately to form a plan of escape whilst also keeping Eve from falling into a panicked state. Somehow the thought of trying to sneak out of a country with a flailing and shouting woman at her side just didn’t seem appealing.

“What?”

“Tonight, I could make dinner!”

  
She longed for her to say Shepherds Pie, and she would make it with Niko’s recipe but ensure it was ten- no- a thousand times better than her Husband had ever made her, Eve deserved that. Really though, she knew they would never make it out of Rome to have dinner tonight. Her brain had been scouring for any possible way out of the country but every single one just presented a sea of reasons it would end only with handcuffs or a bullet to the brain.

“Oh… spaghetti?”

“Good idea!” A laugh escaped her at that, would Eve even be able to stomach spaghetti right now? Raymond’s brains had resembled the dish only a while ago… she decided to change the subject to something prettier for Eve’s sake.

“I was thinking we should go to Alaska. Have you seen pictures? It’s so amazing.”

She had certainly seen pictures, a lot of pictures after her fascination with Niko’s snow globe. In fact, if it was possible for them to escape that’s what it would be like. Eve and Villanelle’s snow globe, a place just for the two of them, their own little bubble.

“We could get a cabin, no one would bother us there. We could be normal! And I have money so you don’t need to worry about that.”

“Okay.”

Even though she was aware Eve barely knew what she was agreeing to, it made her heart flutter in a way she wasn’t used to. If only she had more guns, or a direct path out of this country. She would take Eve anywhere she wanted, buy her some real clothes, the ones that make her realise just how beautiful she really is.

Her body is drawn to hers, to try and comfort her in some way that will draw her out of the lost place she is currently. She takes her hands in her own to make them look at each other.

“You’ll feel better soon. I’ll look after you. It’s going to be amazing.“

With that last little private moment together she almost skips ahead and turns the corner, there straight ahead is exactly what she was expecting. A security camera. They’re trapped here, she knows it with certainty now. She knew from Carolyn Martin’s little visit in Prison that she would be watching, waiting for them, in fact she was certain that Woman was working for both sides.

She had the idea while they were walking through the tunnel. If they were to fake Eve’s death, make it look like Villanelle had finally grown bored of her, MI6 would get her to Hospital and then leave her because they would no longer need to arrest her to stop the leaking of information without the threat of Villanelle on her side. The 12 would go too, she had done their job and it would all be over. They would finally be free, she just had to find some way for the shooting to look realistic, had to make Eve angry with her without telling her that she needed this to happen.

“Come on, through here.”

It made her cringe, pulling out her only weapon to the sound of birds. It was a terribly sloppy move that Villanelle would never do, but she needed Eve to see the gun, to get her angry.

“It’s just birds. We’re fine.”

Eve looked up to the birds with a hint of confusion as to why Villanelle would jump so much from such a simple sound, but found she didn’t have the energy to care too much. Then she saw it, a little, almost toy like gun.

“You have a gun?”

“Yeah.”

“Since when?”

Thankfully she took the bait, Villanelle adopted a nonchalant attitude about it and simply shrugged and tried to continue walking.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Why didn’t you-“

Eve faltered for a beat, hoping the thoughts tickling at the back of her mind were wrong. Villanelle’s light and uncaring ‘hmm?’ In response only fuelled her rage as she pushed on.

“Why didn’t you shoot Raymond?”

Although she had planned things to go this way, Villanelle was slightly surprised by how severe Eve had made it sound, it surely wasn’t that big of a deal?

“You had it under control?”

“No! I-“

The realisation hit her like freight train.

“You wanted me to kill him.”

It wasn’t even a question, she knew it was true even before Villanelle answered her, turning away no longer able to look the younger woman in the eyes.

“I wanted you to know how it feels. How did it feel?”

She said genuinely, momentarily forgetting to keep the act up. After all, Eve had wanted to know what it was like to kill someone since she said so in Paris, it had been a long time coming… so why wasn’t Eve happy?

Eve desperately searched for a word that would express her feeling badly about chopping that axe into Raymond, like awful, horrifying, terrible, scary. Any single one of them would have been the correct answer, the moral answer, the fucking human answer. And yet, none of them were a true representation of how she actually felt, because terrifyingly she still felt nothing after taking the man’s life. So, she simply described how it had physically felt instead.

“Wet.”

“I’m proud of you.”

“Proud?” Eve turned in shock at that, staring at Villanelle with her lips parted slightly.

“Yes! We are safe now. You made us safe.”

“What do you mean?” She asked, the confusion and utter insanity of it straining her voice as she tried to comprehend what the younger woman meant.

“After today people will be angry.” Villanelle half whispered and walked closer to her, reaching her hand out and skimming her arm with her fingers, longing to hold her closer. “But we can take care of ourselves, can’t we?”  
It was all too much really, Hugo, The 12, Aaron, Carolyn, Raymond, and now Villanelle speaking quite frankly, utter nonsense. She had had enough of them, all of them. The only thing that appealed to her right at this very moment was sitting in a bath with a glass of wine for that long the water goes cold and her skin begins to prune.

“I’m going home.”

Villanelle’s heart dropped, what was she doing? She couldn’t go back she would be shot on sight-

“What? Eve, you can’t go home?”

“I can.”

Evidently her plan was no longer working, she needed to get Eve’s attention and quickly before she lost her.

“We need to talk.”

“No.”

How was she supposed to tell Eve to stop and listen without destroying her plan and sentencing them to death? She watched Eve walk away before deadpanning, trying to hit some kind of nerve by speaking the truth.

“You’re ruining the moment.”

At that Eve whipped around again, couldn’t believe the Woman across from her was still so calm. Not only calm, but trying to say this was supposed to be some kind of romantic moment. She had to hear what was going on in that maze of a mind of hers, praying for some kind of sense.

“What do you think is happening here?”

And that was all too real, she had seen and heard this before… when she had bought tickets to go to Paris with Anna and the woman went crazy, shouting about being married and that they had to stay a secret.  
But- Eve was different. She had to be, this couldn’t be real. Her concern about her little plan was aggressively pushed to the side as she tried to understand why Eve had suddenly become so... not Eve?

“…What? I think we-“ Her legs carried her forward and again her hands naturally went to hold onto the older woman, a little too desperately, but she was swatted away again – like nothing more than a bug.

“You think we’d be what? Bonnie and Clyde? Just run away together and cut a few throats?”

She was mocking her, comparing their story to something as stupid as Bonnie and Clyde? How could she even do such a thing, anger seeped into her voice “Stop it.” She commanded but Eve did not listen.

“You want me to be a mess. You want me to be scared. But, I’m like you now. I’m not afraid of anything.” Eve said whilst stepping forward, erasing the little bit of space between them, they were but a breath away from each other now. For a moment everything stopped and maybe, just maybe it would be alright.

“This is what you wanted.” The audacity of that claim, tore apart Villanelle’s restraint and she couldn’t hold it back any longer, this is what Eve asked for.

“This is what you wanted!”

Villanelle’s breath hitched as she regained her composure and lowered the volume of her voice, tried a softer approach as she raised her hand to tentatively touch Eve’s cheek. If she leaned in, the smallest bit their lips would meet and fix everything. “This is what you-“

Eve brushed her off again and it felt like being stabbed all over again, except this felt real, painful. Her eyes locked on Eve’s, unblinking, hoping that somehow her eyes would convey the words she could not speak. But still Eve turned her back and walked away from her, abandoned her.

“No, Eve.”

She said on a breath and shake of her head and she disgusted herself with how afraid and small the tone of her voice had gotten but still found herself hoping that Eve would hear the pained edge to those to words as they left her lips.

No such luck. She couldn’t understand this, she had been good. Her feelings for Eve were infinitely stronger than they had been for anyone that came before her. Even stronger than those she had harboured for Anna, she had been considerate - never once kissed her even though she longed to because she wanted Eve to be sure, she hadn’t even killed moustache so why? _Why?_

“Why are you being like this?”

When Eve offered no response, a desperation seeped into her very being and a manic breath of a laugh choked out of her body. “You love me.”

“No.”

Love. That was what made her different from all the rest, she knew it now. Had known it for a very long time. She didn’t want these words to be spoken now, these were supposed to be said in a tangle of sheets with their bodies pressed together. But, needs must.

“I love you, I do.”

“You don’t understand what that means.”

Eve stated matter of factly, using her hands to emphasise that there was no argument. It was impossible. Oksana Astankova was a Psychopath. They do not understand or feel love, it was just that simple.

Villanelle knew she was using her mental state as a simple excuse, to throw away any possibility of her being able to love. Oh, how wrong Eve was. She wanted to tell her how before Eve, she felt dead, how no matter how many people she killed or slept with none of it made her feel anything. And then Eve had barrelled into her life like the shock pads they use and it was as if her heart started beating again, she felt alive but most of all she felt love. There was no time for a speech of that kind though, there would be later.

“You’re mine.”

She tried, a much shorter version of it all that she knew Eve would understand. They belonged to each other, their whole lives revolved around one another and they had since Eve had decided to hunt her down. It would always be that way, their lives intertwined and something beautiful they could share together. Until Eve threw all of that to the wind and completely shattered their little glass house, all before she could say; and I am yours.

“No.”

A very familiar rage took over from the sadness in her heart, and slowly hatred began to seep into the chamber where she kept her love for Eve Polastri. She found herself shouting again, no longer caring to check her volume.

_“You are! You’re **Mine**!”_

Still, Eve continued to back away from her staring straight at her and once again her voice broke, disbelief breaking her ability to stay in one kind of emotional state for long “Eve!?” She cried out, as if she had lost the older woman in the dark and was trying desperately to find her, pull her into the safety of her arms.

Except she did find her, but this was not her Eve. This was not the woman she had fell so deeply in love with she had risked everything, changed her very being for. She hid her utter disappointment and feeling of betrayal no longer.

“I thought you were special.”

A single tear rolled down her cheek and her heart jumped slightly, at least this was upsetting her and she was not throwing everything they had built away without even a moment of pain and regret.

“Sorry to disappoint.”

And with that, Eve had definitively made her decision. Turned and walked away from her without another word, apparently she was not even worth a goodbye to the older woman. Briefly, she considered letting her go, letting The 12 cut her up into tiny pieces whilst she was still alive just so she would feel the same pain that she was currently experiencing. But, even after all of that Villanelle still could not allow Eve to be killed.

So, she pulled the plug on her emotions, they had brought her noting but agony and sorrow anyway. Stood up straight and aimed her shitty little gun. It would be so easy, so easy to walk right up to her and shove the gun into that beautiful hair and end Eve Polastri’s life. Instead she raised the aimed the gun to a specific area, where the bullet would pierce no organs, where the bullet would exit the same place a knife had once entered, and pulled the trigger.

“Sorry, Baby.”

Was all she said before turning to leave, not bothering to stick around any longer. What was the point? She gave a quick glance up to the security camera she knew would be there before walking off into the streets of Rome.

X

  
Eve was never a religious person. The only time she ever truly remembered it was a thing was after a very upsetting case, involving the death of 4 children. She had been in the bath for hours when Niko came in, handed her a piece of paper, and said something about God really helping his Mother after his Father passed away.

The piece of paper had said something about death not being the end, that you will be welcomed into Heaven by an all powerful light that will be revealed to be God, or something, she really didn’t read it all, just pretended to and smiled at Niko before saying “Thank you, Darling.”

And yet, even after all her disbelief, here she was seeing the light and going straight towards it. She couldn’t believe it really, she would have thought after everything that had happened she would be walking to the fiery gates of hell. But, she wasn’t exactly complaining, maybe heaven would be nice.

However, when she finally got to the light, it appeared not to have been heaven at all, but a shockingly bright light shining down on her. A quick glance around her revealed she wasn’t dead, but in a Hospital bed, in a private room. Afterlife crisis averted, she decided just to go back to sleep.

Her brows knitted together in a frown, as thoughts bombarded her brain. _Fucking hell, I cant even stop solving shit after being shot, what is the matter with me?_

With a terribly agitated sigh she snapped her eyes open again and went to sit up, _oh_ , she was painfully reminded of the hole in her abdomen… Villanelle… that fucking asshole! She had finally taken the high ground, had the most power by walking away, finally she was the one in charge until she took it all back and she had to fucking shoot her? She was going to kill her.

Her thoughts returned to where exactly she was when the door clicked open, finally a nurse or Doctor she could ask wh- _oh for fuck sake._

And of course, none other than Carolyn Martins strolls right into the room as if she does this every day, sits on the chair beside her bed and waits patiently.

“What the fuck are you doing here Carolyn?”

“That’s hardly the way to speak to someone that saved your life, Eve.”

God no, it just can’t be true that Carolyn was the one to find her, as if it wasn’t bad enough being shot, she was going to have to live with Carolyn’s answer to any argument being ‘Do remember I saved your life.’ Eve wishes Villanlle had actually just killed her. She scowls at the older woman before letting her head fall back on to the pillow.

“How did you find me? Where am I? How bad is it?”

Carolyn took a drink of her tea, deliberately taking her time in finishing her drink, at least Eve was positive it was deliberate. “I’ve had Kenny watching on the cities surveillance cameras, I was never far away. You are in MI6’s private hospital, Hugo is 9 doors down if you are interested. The wound? There’s nothing bad about it Eve, don’t be so dramatic.”

Eve’s mouth dropped open “Don’t be so dramatic? I was _shot_! I could have _died_.” She said aggressively pointing to where her wound was, wincing at the pain.

“You wouldn’t have died, Villanelle made sure of that, very precise shot. And well, I do hate to say I told you so, but-“

“I know. You tried to warn me, I should have listened to you. I know.” She sighed and mulled over things for a few minutes before speaking again. “So, what happens now?”

Carolyn straightened in her chair before crossing one leg over the other and looking to Eve, she was more serious now, in her presence and tone.

“Last time we spoke you were terribly adamant about revealing what happened in Rome, I cant have that. To tell you the truth I had rather hoped The 12 would have gotten to you both first. But, here you are, with circumstances changed and now completely alone.”

Eve didn’t know how to respond, she could feasibly go to the papers and take down Carolyn and maybe even more like her but, like Carolyn said she was… alone, so what would even be the point? She opened her mouth to simply promise that she would stay quiet but Carolyn spoke first, as always.

“I am prepared to offer you your old job back, in return for your silence of course. It will mean you have something to live for at least.”

Eve just stared at her for a long time, long enough that Carolyn felt the need to look at the watch on her wrist. She couldn’t help but think that Carolyn had planned this whole thing, again. Eventually she just nodded.

“Wonderful. You can come back as soon as you’re up to it.” With that the older woman began to collect her things to stand up but Eve’s hand shot out and grabbed her, an intense kind of desperation in her movements and voice.

“Villanelle…?”

Carolyn gave her a quick look before continuing to stand up, only when she was just about to turn around did she finally speak again. “We only caught a glimpse of her after the shooting. She’s gone. Either hiding away somewhere or The 12 finally caught her. In the latter’s case, she is dead Eve. Time to move on.”

She walked to the door and opened it, only looking back to say “Keep nourished Eve, see you soon.”

Eve pulled the sheets back and let her and rest in her wound, staring off into space as the information sunk in. Villanelle couldn’t be gone. Their constant cat and mouse game simply could not be over, Finished without a proper end, without _something more._ It just wasn’t right, she had half expected to turn around to some extortionate gift with a card signed ‘Sorry Baby x’ but there was nothing. Just an empty feeling in her chest.

She realised with a jolt of her heart, that her wound was exactly where she had stabbed Villanelle all those weeks ago, that had to mean something surely? Her eyes closed and she was brought back to that day in Rome, where they stood in the ruins of their relationship. A soft, barely audible whisper came from her lips before she even realised.

_“Where are you?”_

 

 

 


	2. It Was A Deadly Shot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Sweeties! SO sorry for the delay. This chapter has been finished since Sunday but my Pas really struggles to post onto Archive for some reason? I think I’ve fixed it now though! I hope you enjoy this chapter! Let me know what you think x

 

Villanelle didn’t bother waiting around for MI6 to come pick Eve up, there was no point. She knew Eve would be fine, had made sure the bullet wouldn’t kill her – not that she even deserved such mercy. But, what she had said was true, she did love her. She realised now that love was weakness, and her last and only act of mercy towards Eve would also be the last love she gave to anyone. It didn’t much bother her though because where she was going there would be no room for love, only for death. Whether that death was her own or indeed that of other people by her hand remained to be seen.

The walk back through the cobbled streets of Rome was tediously long, so much so she considered shooting the engine of one of the many fancy cars – just so the xplosion would make it easier for The 12 to find her. She briefly considered that after killing Raymond that perhaps the remaining agents of The 12 had ran away to explain what had happened to their higher ups and end up being shot in the face for their complete and utter incompetence.

Just as her mind had begun to imagine the ways in which the Agents would be dismembered, she felt the cold barrel of a gun pressed into her back and flitted her eyes to her right to see a tall, broad, man in a leather jacket. How fucking cliché. “Don’t scream.” He said lowly with an accent she determined was German in origin, trying his hardest to sound intimidating.

“I’m not stupid.”

“That’s for them to decide, you to find out. I’m only the delivery guy.”

Villanelle didn’t waste any more words on him, he clearly wasn’t important enough. Instead, she allowed herself to fall back into the depths of her mind. Her body would do as they asked on autopilot.

Eventually they came to a mundane looking black car, unrecognisable and untraceable – obviously. Once she was placed in the back of the car a black hood was placed over her head and handcuffs were snapped onto her wrists. She listened to everything now, the few words Mr. Germany and the Driver exchanged, the sounds of civilisation disappearing the longer they drove, the sound of aeroplanes to signal their arrival at an airport of some kind – it had to be private, they wouldn’t get her past security otherwise.

When the car finally came to a stop, she felt considerably excited at the thought of a plane ride, getting to stretch her legs just for the walk to the plane sounded heavenly. At least it did, until a sharp needle was jabbed into her arm. She could feel a plead bubbling in her throat but she swallowed it, she would not beg for anything, even if she did hate being sedated.

“Sleep well, Villanelle.”

*

There was no dreams to comfort her in her drug induced slumber, not anymore. Before, there had been one or two nights where during sleep her mind produced pictures of Eve, of them together and not even just sexually she was reluctant to admit to herself. A lot of her dreams were simply of her cooking a real dinner for Eve, and finally getting to watch a movie together. Dreams were so stupid.   
“Oksana.”

“It is Villanelle. You bastard.”

Her voice was slurred and sloppily flitting between English and Russian, god she really fucking hated being sedated. After keeping her eyes closed for a few moments more to ensure she wouldn’t spew up whatever she had left in her stomach, she opened them and was released to find the black hood was gone. Granted, she couldn’t see very well with the drugs still so fresh in her system, but it was an improvement nonetheless.

“Ah yes, Oksana is dead. My apologies Villanelle. So, tell me-“

“I don’t do small talk. Get to the point or shut up and get your superior.”

The man in front of her was quite obviously taken aback for her brash tone, or more likely he wasn’t used to the people tied to the chair in front of him not being terrified and overly cooperative. Someone should have warned him he was dealing with an emotionless Sociopath if he was actually going to be the one interrogating her, clearly he wasn’t. After clearing his throat and taking a minute to consider his next words he spoke. “And how do you know I am not a superior member of our little organisation? For all you know I could be a very important someone.”

“Why do your people continue to expect me to be stupid? I’ve met enough of you little henchmen who think they are a ‘real somebody’ when in reality you’re the equivalent to the janitor of The 12. Is that enough of an explanation for you? Good. Now get someone with even a little more intelligence than yourself or I’ll shoot myself with the gun you’re trying to hard to keep hidden in your pants.”

He began to look like a red balloon, was all Villanelle could think as he looked at her. Turning red and the veins in his head beginning to pop out in rage, she wondered briefly if he would pop open if she kept aggravating him. She gave a smirk and was about to test her theory when a Russian tinted voice came through an intercom of some kind. “That’s enough Barnaby. I’ll take it from here.”

Barnaby? She gave a strange kind of laugh and threw her head back, this was truly beginning to look like some kind of cliché James Bond movie. The drugs aided in letting her laughter continue until the Russian man replaced Barnaby from across the table, he didn’t interrupt her just sat, staring. Eventually she stopped and looked the man across from her up and down quickly before asking “And you are?”

“Roman Kozlov. I am num-“

“ _Kozlov_? Как в козле? Ты шутишь! A goat!?

Roman simply glanced at the rather expensive looking watch on his wrist and back up to Villanelle before continuing, his tone much lower and clearly not in the mood for her jokes. “Villanelle, Я здесь не для того, чтобы играть в игры. Это серьезно –“

“No Russian.” She said definitively, clearly there was no room for argument here as for once she was actually serious.

Roman stopped again, he hated to admit that the young woman continued to take him by surprise. “You do realise you are in absolutely no position to make demands. In modern terms, you are in _very_  deep shit.”

“I don’t care. We speak English or we don’t speak at all it’s that simple.”

“Alright. What happened in Rome?” He asked trying to hit a nerve, make her emotional enough to slip up and speak more… humanely? However, Villanelle simply deadpanned.

“You know exactly what happened.”

Roman sat back in silence for a few minutes, he had came to the realisation that questioning Villanelle wouldn’t be as straightforward as it was with others. Her introduction training into The 12 had included interrogation resistance, most likely the kind where they strip the person in question of all clothes and leave them in a monitored room for 2 weeks – the same kind he had underwent decades ago.

It wasn’t just this that made him almost at a loss for words though, there was something… cold and almost _inhuman?_ About the woman across from him. No, he was more than certain that he couldn’t bargain or force anything from her, so then, what else was left but to simply be honest with her and hope for the best?

“I am going to be honest and straight to the point, Villanelle. You are only alive right now because of you’re unparalleled skills as an Assassin for our organisation. The 12 are in a majority vote that to lose you, would be a terrible waste. At present, we are not prepared to do so-“

“How many?” Villanelle had leant forward the more he spoke, a smug smile crawling its way over her features.

“Excuse me?”

“How many out of The 12 wanted to keep me in commission? How many wanted me dead?”

“I… 11/12. Like I said, majority vote.”

Flattery seemed to be the only thing that provided some kind of reaction from her, he noted before listening to what she was saying.

“Not surprising, I _am_ amazing. So, Roman, Would I be correct in assuming The 12 are prepared to give me one more chance or a bullet to the brain right here and now?’

“Basically, yes. And you will be required to start immediately after you have chosen a place to live. Everything will return to normal, we will pay your rent and transportation. I must stress that this is your _**last**_ chance Villanelle, the next time we will be the ones to put a knife through you and we will not be as merciful as your precious Detective.”

“Well, she is dead so there is nothing else for me to be disobedient for. I will do my job and well, better than before.”

He paused at that, really quite shocked this time and raised a brow to show as such. “It was a deadly shot then? I- We assumed you wouldn’t have killed her. We were under the impression you cared for Mrs. Polastri.”

“Psychopaths don’t care for anyone. So, yes, she is very much dead. I shot her through the left side of her back, the bullet would have ripped through her heart. Dead.” She said without so much as a twitch, and she convinced him. Her eyes focused intently on his throat as he gave a nervous swallowing sound and sweat began to work its way out his skin.

“Right, well, I- We are done here. You will be taken to our administrative headquarters and given your new identity and home. It was a pleasure meeting you Villanelle.” He signalled to the camera behind her and in came two men dressed in black, the hood pushed back over her head.

*

Villanelle had spent 2 hours arguing with an senior woman about which Country she would now be living in. She imagined many different and vivid ways to kill the greying redhead, if it had been any other situation she would have done as many as she could to her until she stopped breathing. Alas, she could not.

She spent the first hour demanding to go back to Paris but being told that was ‘definitely not an option’ before eventually relenting, but not without a dramatic speech on how unfair it was and many, many sighs. The woman… Barbara was it? It was now, Barbara had given her many options but she continuously replied with ‘No’ until she finally got her angry enough to crack and adamantly stated “I either get to go back to France, or I’m coming to live with you and your cats!”

That got her a rather beautiful apartment in the City of Bordeaux, she had visited once before but it was only to quickly dispose of a target. They had given her one day after arrival, to get used to the area and honestly, all events considered she was quite excited. She spent the entire plane ride on her new iPhone looking at pictures of her new city and reading ‘Top 10 things to do in Bordeaux’ articles.

When she finally arrived at her new building she was pleasantly surprised when upon entering a concierge at the entrance of the Hotel greeted her with “Ah, Miss Bellerose. Here is your keys, your Uncle was very generous, he purchased the apartment furnished so there is nothing for you to do! Would you like us to prepare dinner for you or if you prefer we have some of the best restaurants in the World here in Bordeaux!”

“What would you say is the best thing your City has to offer?”

“Entrecôte sauce au vin of course!”

“I’ll take that then, from the best restaurant. Please.”

“Bien sûr Madame.”

She was still in what truly resembled shock when her food arrived “Merci” was all she managed to the young boy that set it out on her table for her. No one had informed her she was being given the penthouse, but she definitely was not complaining. It was beautiful and so big it was not like her old apartment at all, she wanted to explore and study it all but found the smell of the food drawing her to the elegant but modern dining table.

There was still more than half of her meal left when she found herself pushing it away for a reason she couldn’t quite identify, there was an odd sort of… _ache_ in her chest but it wasn’t indigestion. She absentmindedly laid the palm of her hand against her chest, over the area where her heart was. It was only then she realised she was still in the red jumpsuit from Rome.

Her body all but shot upright as she aggressively ripped the zip down and tore the outfit off. She gripped it tightly and looked at it, small spatters of Aaron’s and Raymond’s blood dotted over it. It couldn’t stay, she had to rid herself from it and the memories it seemed to harbour. Burn it. Her whole being screamed and so she did, she placed it in a metal trash can and lit a match.

She had ran only hot water in the luxurious white clawfoot bathtub, her eyes studied the swirls and bubbles the organic Lavender and Vanilla bubble bath created. Once it was filled to the brim she flicked the match into the trash can and got into the tub, her whole body tingled from the heat before relaxing.

The jumpsuit crackled and burned away as she lay watching it, waiting for it to cleanse away the constant thoughts of her that incessantly bombarded the very front of her mind but she would not let herself care. Would not waste another second on the woman who had twisted her life into such a mess. And she didn’t, she felt completely numb.

None of this stopped the tears from rolling down her cheeks and into the warm water, no matter how much she convinced herself she didn’t care.

X

 


End file.
